Lines Stretch For Blocks At Greenburgh Gas Stations

Lines to buy gas stretched for blocks in Greenburgh Thursday.Photo Credit: Samantha KramerHere's a map of gas stations that are still open (blue cars) and those that closed down in Greenburgh as of Thursday afternoon.Photo Credit: Samantha Kramer

comment

GREENBURGH, N.Y. – Getting gas wasn’t easy Thursday morning in Greenburgh. And if you were lucky enough to find a gas station open, you had to be patient.

A line of cars stretched for blocks at the Getty station at 128 E. Main St. in Elmsford. Customers like Mark Hyatt said he was waiting in line for about 20 minutes, but that on his commute to New Jersey he saw a gas line on the Garden State Parkway stretching over a mile.

“I didn’t think it would be this bad,” said Hyatt, who lives in New Jersey but works in Greenburgh. “We just have to grin and bear it, and stay positive.”

Getty was one of the only gas stations in Greenburgh and Elmsford that remained open this week. Many stations were forced to shut down when they lost power after Hurricane Sandy, or stopped receiving gas deliveries. Getty employee Salim Doriya said it was much worse between 7 and 8 Thursday morning, when some customers waited up to an hour for gas.

The Getty and a Mobil station on East Hartsdale Avenue were the only stations still open in the area. Employees of both stations said they are in no danger of running short on gas.

Some stations, like the Shell on the corner of 100A and the entrance to 287, were closed for gas, but kept their shop open for convenience items.

Beatrice Newton, of Greenburgh, said she was frustrated because she had no choice but to wait in the long line at Getty – her car needed gas.

“There’s nothing much we can do about it. I’m thankful we can even get gas,” Newton said. “I don’t know how long this will last.”